The Best Time to Say Yes: How Strategic Planning Can Help

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A few years back, a “strategic plan” meant a 50-page document outlining what should be done over the next five years. We got over that once we realized that said document often ended up on a shelf somewhere and rarely, if ever, saw daylight.

Today, our thinking has evolved. We envision strategic planning as a highly collaborative process to create a tool that helps you focus on key priorities and enables you to make decisions over the next few (1-3) years, while also adapting to new conditions and opportunities as they arise.

Ideally the strategic planning process should answer five questions:

For what impact, and for whom, do we want to hold ourselves accountable? Are there specific populations on which we want to focus, or disparities that we want to address?

How will we achieve that impact, based on what we as an organization are best positioned to do?

What specific priorities and work will we focus on?

What resources – financial, human, and organizational – will we need to pursue this work?

How will we know we are making progress?

While resource allocation is an evergreen challenge, there are certain moments for nonprofits when strategic planning might be particularly helpful.

Some foundations may use different labels such as organizational beliefs or priorities, but regardless of what they are called, an organization’s practices are the most, and sometimes only, visible expression of their values. This is why it’s so critical to make sure there’s alignment between the two.
From a survey supported by PEAK Grantmaking, when asked how their foundation “walks the talk” in aligning their values with their practices, one respondent noted that in order to meet their values regarding equity and inclusion, program staff participate in workshops and training specific to these topics.
Examples of values can include a dedication to diversity, innovation, or gathering and sharing of knowledge with others in the field. One common value we’ve found is a commitment to ensuring grant seekers have enough time and resources to reach their program goals.
Through this work, we hope to get the sector talking about what barriers exist for aligning values and practices. We’ve found this conversation fascinating and as we uncover more findings from this work we think it’ll be fertile ground for further exploration and lead to meaningful results for our members and the sector.
Read the source article at Give learning curves the boot.

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